The Best Kitchen Accessories to Make Meal Prep Less Painful

Cooking and eating meals at home is a healthier, cheaper, better way to eat—that's nothing new to you. But we’d be lying if we said it was always convenient. Planning recipes, prepping all your ingredients, and packing the finished product is a process, but it can be worth it. Here are eight of our favorite kitchen tools that can help you save a little time, money, and a few inches on your waist with easier-than-before meal preps.

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Prep Naturals Glass Meal Prep Containers 3-Pack

Everyone who takes their meals to work knows the importance of a good set of containers. These environmentally friendly glass containers can do it all. They’re ready to go in the microwave, freezer, dishwasher, and oven (up to 230 degrees). They’re also BPA free and will pack perfectly in almost any of your bags. And one of the best parts is that they're easy to clean, especially since the glass doesn’t hold on to any leftover food bits or smells. Now all you have to do is decide what you're going to cook.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you’re shorting yourself. These plug-'em-in-and-leave-'em appliances work as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker—and have the ability to sauté, steam, and warm foods. It’s never been easier to whip up batches of quinoa, lentils, grains, legumes, and veggies.

Garlic is good for you. Research shows consuming garlic on a daily basis can be good for your health. And to get the freshest, most potent benefits without having to shell and pull apart cloves, all you have to do is shove your garlic through this press. And voila, flavor.

Stop buying so many plastic bags. These reusable ones are lead- and BPA-free, so you don’t have to worry about poisoning yourself or the world with sketchy plastic. They’re surprisingly durable, too (they have a double-lock seal), and you can put them in the dishwasher or freezer to plan ahead for your meals without a problem. Even though they’re a little on the pricier side, one year of using Rezip bags will pay for itself in the money you save on traditional plastic bags.

In order to practice proper portion control, you have to know your portions. This multifunctional scale makes measuring a hell of a lot easier, and does the job well. It comes with a removable bowl, a temperature sensor, and an alarm and timer with an electronic display so you can use it as a multipurpose tool in the kitchen.

Eggs are the real mealtime MVP. But when you’re stuck scrambling your eggs every morning, they can get boring. Enter the Dash Deluxe Egg Cooker, which can boil up to a dozen eggs at a time. If that's not your thing, you can also use it to prep everything from soft or medium eggs, to your special go-to omelet.

Cleaning your blender is annoying. The parts are clunky and hard to reach—and really, whipping up a smoothie or sauce should be easier. Your new best friend for small batch smoothies and other liquid goodies: the hand blender. Instead of putting the food to the blender, you simply add the blender to the food. Then rinse it off like a normal utensil. A true kitchen hero.

Do you really need a dozen steak knives, a machete, and a scalpel to make meals properly? No, you don’t. Overdoing it with the tools of the trade just gets in the way when it’s go time in the kitchen. Really, the only knives you probably need are a chef knife, serrated knife, and paring knife. This set has you covered, and throws in a bonus cleaver for carnivores. The blades are made with super-sharp carbon stainless steel so you won’t have to worry about sharpening them too often.

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